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After Spinach Death, Family Takes Action

Polly and Ken Costello of Bellevue, Nebraska, daughter and son-in-law of Ruby Trautz, who lost her life to severe E. coli complications after eating contaminated Dole Spinach, will travel to Washington on Tuesday to raise awareness about the consequences of the broken federal food safety system.

Polly and Ken will join the Center for Science in the Public Interest in presenting a report on the top ten “riskiest” to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and Nebraska lawmakers, according to a news wire report.

This week over a dozen foodborne illness victims and their family members will travel to DC to promote stronger food safety laws. The lobbying effort is part of a coordinated advocacy effort by the Make Our Food Safe Campaign, a well organized coalition of public health, consumer advocacy, and foodborne illness victim groups.

Victims and their families will be meeting with Senators and staff on Wednesday to discuss the pending food safety bill in the Senate, S. 510, which Senator Durbin (D-IL) introduced last March. The House passed a similar bill in July.